Training Opportunities For Libraries To Learn To Build Support for Funding

We are excited to announce these opportunities for library staff and supporters to learn how to build community support and the political will for funding libraries.

In the last 5 years, we’ve worked on over 70 library campaigns, dozens of political funding initiatives, and many legislative actions and we’ve trained with some of the largest PACs, National and Local Political Campaigns, and most successful political consultants. From these experiences, we’ve developed and tested the most advanced tools, tactics, and strategies that library staff can use to build local political support for funding. Now, we want to teach you and your staff, Friends and Foundations, and advocacy organizations everything we’ve learned through these three opportunities.

Speaking and Training
EveryLibrary board members and advisors are frequent speakers, presenters, conveners, workshop hosts and keynoters for library conferences, staff days, and symposia across the country. Many of our workshops are not about the specifics of library campaigns and local politics, but instead focus on strategies for librarians, trustees, and other stakeholders to activate the public in the absence of a ballot initiative and build political support within their community. These topics include activism, advocacy, fundraising, managing volunteers, holistic digital strategies, developing strong coalitions and partnerships, and building effective messages. If you’d like to schedule a time to talk about working with your organization, please feel free to contact us through this link

Our Book
Whether your election day is four months away or four years away, there are immediate steps library leaders and local library ballot committees should take to help secure a successful ballot initiative later. This action-driven manual for anyone running a political campaign for libraries dives into:

• proven, successful campaigning techniques for rural, suburban, and urban settings;
• expert analysis on how political perceptions are formed, how political power works, and ways libraries can reach funding or political goals;
• starting the discussion internally;
• the right approach to setting up the committee structure, and identifying the core leadership team for the committee;
• tips on networking, cultivating good relationships with the power players in the community, and building a winning coalition;
• canvassing and direct voter contact;
• responding effectively to opposition, including voters who habitually resist taxes or library funding increases;
• the differences between paid media and earned media; and
• best practices for marketing and message development, fundraising, volunteer engagement, and other key areas.

Filled with easy to follow strategies, this book will guide ballot committees, librarians, trustees, and library advocates through the process of winning an election for funding their library. LIS students will also benefit from the early exposure to political literacy skills provided by this book. You can purchase the book through Amazon or directly through ALA Editions.

Building Support for Library Funding eCourse
In this twelve-week advanced eCourse from SJSU iSchool and ALA Editions, Patrick “P.C.” Sweeney provides you and your staff with the necessary information to understand and influence local power structures and get the tools you need to build support for funding your library. Throughout this course PC Sweeney shares the secrets of major national PACs, campaign consultants, community organizers, and local and presidential campaigns that can help you build relationships to sustain or increase funding for your library. Whether you are a director in a major city or a librarian in a rural town, the theories and best practices taught in this course are scalable and can be implemented to enhance support and increase funding in your area. Register here today to secure your seat in the course.

Webinar Series For School Librarians
If you're a school librarian, we're excited to announce this yearlong quarterly series on building support for your school library in partnership with ISTE. This “From Advocacy to Activism” webinar series for 2018 will include four free interactive webinars that are designed for school librarians and school library activists to learn new skills and hone effective strategies that are focused on library funding. Taught by the EveryLibrary team, participants will hear about real-world examples from SaveSchoolLibrarians.org funding fights and other issue campaigns that can be put to work in their own schools and districts.